These writings chart Harman's rise from Chicago sportswriter to co founder of one of Europe's most promising philosophical movements: Speculative Realism. In 1997 Graham Harman was an obscure graduate student covering Chicago sporting events for a California website. Unpublished in philosophy at the time he was already a popular conference speaker on Heidegger and related themes. A decade later he is the author of highly visible books on continental philosophy is Associate Vice Provost for Research at the American University in Cairo and a key member of the Speculative Realist movement along with Ray Brassier Iain Hamilton Grant and Quentin Meillassoux. This fascinating collection of eleven essays and lectures from 1997 to 2009 anchored by Harman's rebellious transformation of Heideggerian philosophy show the evolution of his object oriented metaphysics from its early days into an increasingly developed philosophical position. Each chapter is preceded by Harman's witty scene setting commentary.

REVIEWS & ENDORSEMENTS

The style of Harman often evokes that of a William James joined to the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft. ~ Olivier Surel,in Actu Philosophia

In his letter to the young Beatrice [Chapter 9], Graham Harman offers the clearest exposition of object-oriented philosophy to date. With grace, wit, and a remarkable inventiveness Harman invites us to return to basic philosophical questions. Whether or not one agrees with Harman's conclusions his work will be an inspiration for many. ~ Martin HÃ¤gglund, Harvard University, author of Radical Atheism

This wonderfully engaging book asks the most important metaphysical and epistemological questions of our time. What does it mean to be human? How do objects relate to each other? How might our understandings of object relations change if we take the cosmos into account? In a series of beautifully written chapters, Harman carefully builds his pathbreaking argument that objects relate through vicarious asymmetrical causation. Harman transforms complex ideas into digestible form, at the same time that he provides a refreshingly honest account of how his theory has developed over time, and the reactions it has garnered within the academy. This is a must-read for scholars interested in metaphysics, philosophy or science studies, and for students who want invaluable insights into how scholars theory-build. ~ Myra Hird, Queen's University, Canada. Author of The Origins of Sociable Life.